Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

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Tu Xingsun did not return home all night.

Deng Jiugong sat alone in the central command tent. The candles on the table had long since burned out, and the incense ash in the bronze incense burner was chillingly cold. The clanging of armor from the changing of the guards came from outside the tent, crisp and eerie.

The wrinkles around his eyes were even deeper than yesterday, making his brow bones look like they were collapsing.

"Father," Deng Xiu called out cautiously as she entered through the curtain.

Last night, my father suddenly ordered the entire army to strengthen its defenses without explaining the reason. The order was given abruptly and decisively, as if he had a premonition.

Deng Jiugong raised his eyelids slightly, his gaze cloudy, which sent a chill down Deng Xiu's spine.

"Recount the entire story of your meeting with Chanyu and Tuxingsun yesterday, from beginning to end. Do not omit any details."

Deng Xiu's heart tightened.

His father, usually so composed, spoke calmly, yet he could still sense the impending storm brewing. He dared not conceal anything and recounted in detail how Tu Xingsun had suggested using the jade pendant to lure Zhang Shan, and how he had borrowed it from Deng Chanyu.

After hearing this, Deng Jiugong remained silent for a long time.

The tent was as silent as still water, with only the mournful sound of the wind outside.

Deng Xiu tentatively asked, "Father, has something happened?"

Deng Jiugong did not answer, and slowly closed his eyes.

He knew how powerful Tu Xingsun's earth-moving technique was. That dwarf could move underground as if swimming in water, appearing and disappearing without a trace, and ordinary people couldn't do anything about him.

But one night passed.

They were nowhere to be found, neither alive nor dead.

There are only two possibilities: either they escaped, or... they died.

"Father, Chanyu requests an audience."

Deng Chanyu's voice came from outside the tent, interrupting Deng Jiugong's thoughts.

Deng Jiugong and Deng Xiu exchanged a glance, a complex look flashing in both their eyes.

"Come in."

Deng Chanyu lifted the curtain and entered.

She was dressed in military uniform, with only a simple silver hairpin in her hair, exuding a refined beauty with a touch of sternness. Deng Xiu noticed that her younger sister's eyes were slightly red, clearly indicating that she had just been crying.

Deng Chanyu's gaze swept past her father and brother, and she went straight forward to gently place a mutton-fat jade pendant on the table.

"My elder brother said yesterday that he missed Mother and came to borrow this jade pendant to take a look at her." Deng Chanyu's voice was unusually cold. "But my elder brother was too careless and actually lost it. Fortunately, someone found it, recognized it as my item, and returned it to me."

Her eyes remained still as she spoke, but her gaze was fixed on Deng Xiu's face.

Deng Xiu's expression changed drastically. She subconsciously reached for the jade pendant, and her pupils contracted sharply when her fingertips touched the warm, smooth jade.

This was indeed the one he personally handed to Tu Xingsun yesterday.

"This..." Deng Xiuqiang suppressed the turmoil in her heart and forced a smile. "It was indeed my elder brother's negligence that he lost it. Fortunately, I found it, otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?"

Deng Chanyu's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

In that instant, all her composure shattered, like a long-suppressed torrent finally breaking through the ice.

"Otherwise, Zhang Shan would have believed that letter, gone to the appointment alone, and then died under Tu Xingsun's club, wouldn't he?"

The color drained from Deng Xiu's face.

Deng Chanyu looked at him, her eyes gradually reddening, tears welling up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

It's not that she doesn't believe Zhang Shan's words.

When Zhang Shan handed her the jade pendant last night, she already believed him to be 70% certain.

She desperately hoped that Zhang Shan was wrong.

But Deng Xiu's reaction at this moment shattered her last shred of hope.

Why?

Deng Chanyu turned to Deng Jiugong, tears welling up in her eyes and sliding down her cheeks.

"Father, do you know anything about all this? Do you know that my elder brother intends to harm the one I love in my name?"

Deng Jiugong remained silent.

Silence is the default.

"Father, you taught me to read and understand principles from a young age, and to be respectful, righteous, and have a sense of shame. Yet today you have allowed my elder brother to do such a thing, plunging me into injustice."

Deng Chanyu trembled all over. "Is this... the standard of conduct for the Deng family?"

"Chanyu!" Deng Xiu stepped forward to stop her, her voice urgent, "Let your elder brother explain, Father also..."

"Also what?"

Deng Chanyu shook off his hand.

"Is it also for my own good? Is it also for the Deng family's sake?" She gave a bitter smile. "Brother, ask yourself honestly, when you borrowed the jade pendant, did you ever think about how I would face myself if Zhang Shan really died because of it?"

Deng Xiu was speechless.

After a long silence, Deng Jiugong finally spoke.

"Chanyu, are you afraid of dying?"

Deng Chanyu was taken aback.

Deng Jiugong raised his head, and the morning light shone through the curtain, illuminating his face. The wrinkles on his face looked like deep ravines carved by a knife and axe, each one hiding untold weariness.

"What people fear most is death. But..." he paused, "isn't death also a kind of liberation?"

He slowly stood up, hands behind his back. In an instant, Deng Chanyu suddenly realized that her father's back did not seem as straight as she remembered.

"This war between the Shang and Zhou dynasties has long transcended the scope of the change of dynasties in the human world." Deng Jiugong's voice was low and weary. "Which of those high and mighty gods cares about the suffering of the people? Even someone like Grand Tutor Wen has already died and disappeared."

"You and I, father and daughter, are like an unmoored boat adrift in this vast and surging torrent, powerless to control our own destiny!"

Deng Chanyu stared blankly at her father's retreating figure, speechless for a moment.

"Father……"

Just as Deng Chanyu was about to speak, a guard's voice came from outside the tent.

"General, Zhang Shan requests an audience."

The three people inside the tent all changed color at the same time.

Deng Chanyu glanced instinctively at her father, then at her brother, a flicker of panic crossing her eyes. Although she had already confronted her father, Zhang Shan's sudden arrival posed a threat; if things didn't go well, her father might be tempted to kill her…

Deng Jiugong gave his daughter a deep look.

He slowly sat back down at the desk, straightened his clothes, and suppressed all his fatigue.

"Please let him in."

The curtain was lifted, and Zhang Shan strode in, not wearing armor, but only a black close-fitting outfit with a light armor over it.

Upon entering the tent, Zhang Shan noticed that Deng Chanyu's eyes were slightly red and her expression was unusual. He frowned and was about to walk towards her.

Deng Chanyu shook her head almost imperceptibly.

Zhang Shan immediately suppressed his doubts, turned around, and bowed to Deng Jiugong.

"This humble general, Zhang Shan, greets Your Excellency, General."

Deng Jiugong waved his hand: "No need for formalities. Zhang Shan, what brings you here?"

Zhang Shan composed himself and said loudly, "General, an old friend of mine wishes to see you. Would that be convenient?"

An old friend?

Deng Jiugong frowned slightly, about to ask who it was, when he saw a ripple suddenly appear in the empty space inside the tent.

The ripples spread like water, but there was no leakage of any magical power. If you didn't see it with your own eyes, you wouldn't be able to detect it even if you were right next to it.

A figure appeared out of thin air.

Deng Xiu was shocked and drew his sword abruptly, the sound of the blade being drawn was crisp and piercing. "Who dares to trespass into the central army!" He made a move to call for his guards.

"Wait a minute."

Deng Jiugong held down his son's hand.

His gaze was fixed on the figure that was gradually solidifying.

The man was dressed in a black Taoist robe, with a blue jade ruler hanging from his waist. He had a handsome face and a composed demeanor.

The person who arrived was Zhang Kui.

Zhang Kui leaped out of the Qiankun Diagram, first looking around before his gaze settled on Deng Jiugong.

"General Deng, it's been several years since we last met in Beihai, but you still retain your former charm!"

Deng Jiugong's pupils contracted slightly; he recognized Zhang Kui.

Back when Yuan Futong rebelled in Beihai, Grand Tutor Wen Zhong led his army to quell the rebellion. At that time, Zhang Kui was just a minor rear guard officer, quiet and unremarkable. Deng Jiugong, on the other hand, was already a renowned veteran general. Although the two were in the same army, they didn't interact much.

Who would have thought that in just a few years, this person would have grown to such an extent.

Deng Jiugong showed no sign of change on his face and calmly said, "General Zhang, how have you been? May I ask what brings you here?"

Zhang Kui stopped laughing.

A faint glimmer of light flickered in his eyes, the yin and yang energies within them flashing uncertainly before quietly disappearing.

He had just used the Great Yin-Yang Void-Penetrating True Eye to observe Deng Jiugong and Deng Xiu, gaining profound insight into their nature from a silent perspective. However, after examining them, he found nothing unusual about them; there were no fluctuations of restrictions or traces of soul control.

Business as usual.

But precisely because everything seemed normal, Zhang Kui became even more vigilant.

Since Daoist Ran Deng has made a move, he certainly wouldn't just give away a few pills and call it a day. Given that old fox's methods, he must have a backup plan. The less apparent the problem is now, the deeper the issue lies hidden.

However, these thoughts only flashed through my mind in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Kui's smile remained unchanged as he got straight to the point.

"General Deng, I am not here today for military matters."

He glanced at Zhang Shan, then at Deng Chanyu, and nodded in satisfaction. It must be said, his younger brother Zhang Shan had excellent taste; Deng Chanyu was definitely a perfect match.

Upon being looked at, Deng Chanyu subconsciously lowered her head, her ears secretly blushing.

"Zhang Shan and I lost our parents at a young age. As the eldest brother, I should be the one to arrange his marriage."

Zhang Kui withdrew his gaze, turned to Deng Jiugong, and said, "Zhang Shan and Miss Chanyu are deeply in love. As her elder brother, I have come today to ask General Deng for her hand in marriage."

He paused, then solemnly bowed to Deng Jiugong.

"I hope the General will grant my request."

After he finished speaking, the tent fell silent.

Zhang Shan and Deng Chanyu's eyes met in mid-air. One's eyes were full of anticipation and nervousness, while the other's were shy and timid, yet both revealed an undisguised joy.

Deng Jiugong saw all of this.

His expression gradually darkened.

"General Zhang."

After a moment of silence, Deng Jiu spoke, his voice calm to the point of being cold, "This matter is too sudden, and I would like to speak with you alone."

Before Zhang Kui could answer, he turned to Deng Xiu and said, "Take your sister out."

Deng Xiu was taken aback, but then accepted the order.

Deng Chanyu struggled to leave, saying urgently, "Father, I won't..."

"Go out first."

Deng Jiugong's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority.

Deng Chanyu bit her lip, wanting to argue further, but was pulled away by Deng Xiuqiang.

She paused slightly as she passed Zhang Shan.

Their eyes met, and her lips moved slightly as if she had a thousand words to say, but in the end she only looked at him deeply.

Zhang Kui saw this, stepped forward, patted Zhang Shan on the shoulder, and said, "Go on, you should come out too."

Zhang Shan nodded, bowed to Deng Jiugong again, and followed him out of the tent.

The curtains fell.

Only Zhang Kui and Deng Jiugong remained in the tent.

The candlelight flickered, casting two shadows on the curtain wall, one long and one short, facing each other from afar.

Zhang Kui didn't rush to speak. He strolled forward, picked up the teapot on the table, poured himself a cup, and slowly took a sip.

The tea was good, but unfortunately it had already gone cold.

It turns out that Deng Jiugong wasn't as calm as he seemed at this moment!

"General Deng, this tea is really good!" Zhang Kui didn't urge him, poured himself a cup, and waited quietly.